Green Building Course

monticellohomes

Does anyone know of an online course for Green Building? I'm wanting to learn more about it and typically learn better hearing the information over reading it.

MarkC

Either last month or the month before there was a big GREEN article in Qualified Remodeler. You could look online in their forum to see if there were any links to any educational options.

MarkC

orson

monticello,

Here's an online certification course I am considering:

www.greenbuildercollege.com

It looks like you can do the Environments for Living cert for $500 and then do the Green Builder cert for free, whereas the Green Builder cert costs $700??

Keep us posted if you decide to do it, I'm still on the fence.

You can also go for your LEED certification of course, not so much an online course as much as just purchasing study materials and then testing for your certification:

http://www.usgbc.org/displaypage.aspx?cmspageid=147

There is also ReGreen for green residential remodeling. Last I checked this is not a certification but just a set of guidelines:

http://www.regreenprogram.org/

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monticellohomes

Thanks Orson, Ill have to check into those.

Static Design

Where do you see doing the Environments for Living cert gets you the other course for free? or am I missing something?

orson

http://www.greenbuildercollege.com/lev.php?L=4

Welcome to the Environments For Living®
Online Certification Program.
(Preview Only)


Environments For Living track: To become Environments For Living certified, each participant must complete the first six Environments For Living courses listed on the left.
Each study course in this curriculum addresses the fundamental areas of green building relating to framing, insulation, HVAC, and indoor environmental quality.
Completion of the Environments For Living course work includes passing the test associated with each course. Participants who complete this training can go on to enroll in the four-day Master Certified training class with Advanced Energy Corporation. Green Builder track: In addition, participants are invited to complete the Green Builder training courses at left to receive their Green Builder Certification at no extra cost.

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KennMacMoragh

If you can manage to hit up one of the JLC seminars, they have discussions on it. I went to one a few weeks ago and the guy who did the green building show was pretty interesting. He compared the differences to green framing and conventional framing. He emphasized that people don't use green framing because it's not the way they were taught. But he made references to the code book and pointed out that, if done right, it is legal, and can be approved in a set of plans.

There's things in it that seem unorthodox, like not using a header and instead letting the plywood sheating act as your structural header, and not using any trimmers. But the fact is it works, and you save a lot of money in building, and get better insulated walls. The weird thing is, this was all engineered about 35 years ago, and very few people have picked up on it.

I remember there was one framing company I worked for. And the builder who hired us was interested in applying some green framing techniques, such as eliminating some of the cripple studs. But my company was too stupid and lazy to apply it.

monticellohomes

What are some of those green framing practices?

KennMacMoragh

Here's my picture from the show. The wall to the right shows the conventional wall framing method, to the left is the green wall. And yes it's a load bearing design. The sheathing is left out in the demo so you could see the studs better.

Here's the differences I remember:
- Taking out the header
- Taking out the trimmers
- Taking out the cripples under each end of the window sill
- Using two stud corners, replacing backing with drywall clips
- Using a single top plate
- Two feet on center studs
- The partition channels were done different, I cut it off in the picture, but I think he put a block in flat between the studs, just to give the end stud on the partition wall something to nail the middle to. And then used drywall clips.

And those boards in front are Zip System sheathing panels. They're supposed to let more water vapor through, lessening condensation in the insulation.

monticellohomes

Is that framing method the one where you can eliminate a lot of those other parts by stacking all the studs from foundation up?

I've looked at the Zip system before, when it first came out here it was way expensive, but no getting to be more affordable. The latest sheathing system I've used is Dow's SIS panel, really neat. 1" foam with a backer that gives it the rigidity to not need osb anywhere, while also giving R5.5 for the 1" and R3 for the 1/2".

KennMacMoragh

I'm not sure if I've heard of what you are talking about.

He talked about the stacking briefly. The joists or trusses above do have to be stacked closer to the studs than the traditional framing method. I believe the code for a double top plate is the joist can't be more than 5" from a stud. With a single top plate, it's got to be closer, not sure how close or if it's got to be exact. And I don't know if the studs have to be stacked from one floor to the next.

critter

The stacking is actually advanced framing methods need to align trusses with the wall studs. On a single story home this is easy and straightforward. Single top plate demands this alignment. On a two story, the first floor to second floor alignment is basically irrelevant because the floor joist system more than compensates for the missing plate. Note that precuts don't work for advanced framing or your walls will be an inch and a half too short. It also is recommended that all ceiling drywall be installed prior to installing interior partitions. This saves time, increases rigidity, etc. but requires some planning with wiring, plumbing, etc. - very do-able. Rigid exterior foam is the way to go to avoid dew point condensation issues and increase the walls' overall performance. R-value is only a part of the picture. Convectional and radiant losses can be addressed with foil-faced one inch rigid and gives a performance whole that is greater than the sum of its parts!

critter

BTW. Another issue with advance framing methods is the use of insulated headers, warm two stud corners, and ladder nailers for walls the tee into the exterior walls. Look at a conventional home on a cold, frosty morning. You can see every stud as an vertical stripe on the vinyl siding where there is no frost. That is the heat transferring through the wood way faster than through the fglass insulated cavity. A home with two foot centers has less exterior wood paths and rigid foam erases the energy bleed stripes altogether. Give this info to your customers as proof of the value of advanced framing methods. A home built in this way uses less wood and uses less fuel. Carbon footprint is smaller. Trees are saved. No matter what all gets blamed for global warming, deforestation is by far number one.

sawyerEd

Thanks KennMac for posting that great picture showing the amount of lumber that is typically wasted in a conventionally framed wall. And critter for all your thoughtful posts on smarter ways of doing things. The wall in the picture would not make it as an R-2000 wall unless you hung a SIP on the outside of it. I too have noticed the tell tale signs of thermal bridging on a frosty morning on the outside of vaulted roofs. I like the idea of having more space in the building envelope for insulation and dead air space, sound barriers etc.
You mentioned deforestation, I think you and some of the other green posters need to remember that deforestation is a land development issue motivated by profit. Saving 2X6's in a wall will not save a forest. Most 2x4 or 2x6 lumber is grown on plantations or harvested from immature or low grade stands that are quickly reforested. Another poster asked if dbl stud walls are green, yes because they save energy and use quickly regenerated lumber.
The problem for critter and I is , how do we convince our local building authority to ok proven smarter and greener ways of putting buildings together? This is especially true in the case of massive concrete footings, slabs and stemwalls that are hugely overdesigned for the loads that residential construction ordinarily requires.

BKFranks

I've seen the http://www.greenbuildercollege.com/ also. There was a spread in Professional Builder Magazine about Environments for Living and Green Builder College.
Check out: http://www.eflhome.com/
and
http://www.eflhome.com/pdfs/CG_PG_Details.pdf

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I got the LEED AP credential for New Construction version 2.2. I read the reference guide and got some study materials from a friend. I studied off and on for about 3 months. It was harder than I thought it would be.

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concrete21

many thanks, we will check this from you

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JaxBuild

You will still have to get the Eng. of Record to sign off on the reduction of headers and cripples.

Tim Garrison PE

Here's an option to consider. I teach Green Framing and will come spend a couple days with you, your crew, your design team, and / or your building officials (your call who to invite.) We start by walking job sites, then we head to the classroom (your venue). It's not cheap, $4,800. But I guarantee that it will pay for itself within one year. And if you build more than one home a year, the return will be quicker yet.

I just published my 4th book, GREEN FRAMING - AN ADVANCED FRAMING HOW-TO GUIDE. If you're interested please check me out by clicking on my name next to my avatar.